You can use the search box, or browse the table below. Click the orange compare buttons to load pedals into the compare bar. Note that you can only load six pedals at a time. If you don't see what you're looking for, keep in mind that we're updating our database regularly with new pedals.
Effects pedal pricing updated Tue, May 30th, 2023.
Note that we are in the middle of updating our database, therefore some pedal pricing might be incorrect.
Some of the products we link to on this page are from retailers that we have a partnership with, where these links help support our site, if you click through the orange buttons and make a purchase. However, this in no way impacts what you pay or your experience when using our links. Thank you all for your generous support! ~ Bobby and Danielle
Our disclosure↬
The Boss HM-2w Waza Craft distortion pedal, one of our favorites.
For most of our product reviews we take our own photos, in-house. Thank goodness for portrait mode. For those interested in using these photos, that is completely fine with us as long as you give us credit and don't claim the work as your own. Simply linking to guitarchalk.com near the photo is totally fine.
This page contains a regularly updated table of all the guitar pedals in our database for easy comparison. It allows you to see pricing and basic features, and has new pedals added to it every time we publish them elsewhere on the site. Note that while we make every effort to keep this content updated, pricing is subject to change depending on the retailer and the manufacturer.
How to Compare Guitar Pedals Using our Tool
To compare guitar pedals well, you need to know a few things about guitar effects and effects categories. Guitar pedals actually come from a variety of different categories which, depending on the type of music you play, might or might not be useful to you.
We've included that information below, though if you're already familiar with guitar pedals and know what you want to compare, you can use the tool above to get started.
Use the "Compare+" button to compare guitar pedals (you can compare up to four at a time), which pops them into a bar at the bottom of this page.
You can also add a pedal to your "wishlist" to save for checking out later.
We're regularly adding new pedals to our database, so check back often for new guitar pedals to compare, or leave pedal requests and/or questions in the comments section below.
Compare Pedals Based on These Features
Every guitar pedal can be placed in a particular effects category. These categories include the following:
- Modulation
- Ambience
- Gain
- Filter
- Utility
- Multi-effects
Generally, you should have at least one (or perhaps several) from the first four categories, then whatever is needed from the utility category (this might be a tuner, volume pedal, etc.). Refer to this guide for more information on effects types and guitar pedal setup.
Different guitar pedals lend themselves to different musical styles. For example, rock and metal tend to rely heavily on distortion, meaning you might want to consider using our tool to compare distortion pedals if that's the type of music you play. Another example would be blues, which often uses overdrive and wah pedals. Take into account the type of music you play and which pedals are most helpful and relevant to those styles.
Guitar pedals span an extremely wide price range, going from $15 to $20 on the low end, to as much as several thousand dollars on the high end. Most of them fall between $100 and $300, depending on the brand and type of pedal you're buying. You should focus more of your budget on the pedals that you'll use the most. For example, if you play a style of music that utilizes delay pedals often, buy a more expensive delay pedal and give yourself more budget room for that particular effect.
Most pedals have control knobs that allow you to make changes to the sound of the effect. These knobs will change depending on the type of effect you're buying. For example, most gain/distortion pedals will have volume, tone, and gain level control, while most modulation pedals (chorus, phasers, flangers) will have at least depth and rate controls. Get familiar with these controls and take note of how much (or little) each pedal provides.
Guitar pedals run off either an analog circuit or something called a digital signal processor or "DSP" for short. DSP guitar pedals have digital algorithms that create effects, while analog pedals have physical circuits and are usually based on older models of guitar pedals. While analog pedals are more expensive, they tend to sound better but offer less control. Digital guitar pedals often provide more control options but don't achieve the same level of tone quality as their analog counterparts. There are plenty of exceptions to these rules, but keep the analog/digital difference in mind as you compare guitar pedals.
Bypass is the state of a guitar pedal when it is turned off and simply passing a clean signal through the pedal. When buying or comparing guitar pedals, there are actually different types of bypass to consider. The most common are true bypass and buffered bypass. True bypass is more desirable because it preserves your signal as though it was a singular cable connection. It's not a deal breaker, but something worth making a note of.
There are plenty of communities online that can vouch for brands and particular models of guitar pedals. Places like Reddit, YouTube, and Guitar Chalk all offer a ton of information on guitar pedals and comparisons that might be helpful to you when you're trying to decide between different effects options.
The Line 6 HX Stomp multi-effects pedal. A powerhouse.
What matters most when buying guitar pedals?
We can always talk about guitar pedal features, but what are the most pressing questions you should be asking yourself when comparing and preparing to buy guitar pedals?
An obvious question to consider is simply, what guitar pedals do you already have? Do you already have a chorus pedal that you're happy with? Or maybe your amp already has a great distortion channel? Take an inventory of the gear you have on hand, then make decisions based off of what you need to "complete" your pedalboard and guitar rig.
As we've already mentioned, the type of music you want to play has a lot to do with the types of pedals you should buy. While there are plenty of pedals that apply to a wide range of styles, there are many that are more specialized, and only useful within particular contexts. Get to know the musical style you like and which pedals those artists are using. Equipboard is a great site for figuring out which pedals famous guitar players are employing.
On a more practical note, what is your guitar pedal budget? Do you want to buy pedals one at a time or all at once? Figure out what you want to spend, when you want to spend it, then buy and compare guitar pedals accordingly.
You also need to consider your own skill level. Are you just a beginner or new to the electric guitar? If so, you might want to take some more time in terms of deciding which guitar pedals you want. As you improve and progress as a guitar player, you'll narrow more into particular styles and playing tendencies. When you do, that's the best time to pick out guitar pedals that can better accommodate your specific playing style.